City officials and other interested parties in Denver are trying to find a way forward in the aftermath of a vote solidly rejecting a proposal to transform a 155-acre golf course partly into a residential development.
For well over two years what to do with the historic Park Hill Golf Course, located on the northeast side of the city, has animated debates and spirited community meetings in the city.
Opened in 1931, the course was a permanent recreation feature in Denver for nearly nine decades, until its closing in 2018.
An effort called “Park Hill Golf Course Reimagined” won the approval late last year of the Denver City Council, calling for the preservation of some 100 acres of the site to be used as park, trail and open spaces. The remaining 55 acres, under the plan, would see the construction of affordable income housing.
Owned by the company Westside Investment Partners, the golf course could have eventually seen the construction of up to 3,200 new homes.
Now, in the wake of the election results, which saw nearly 59% of voters rejecting the Park Hill Golf Course Reimagined proposal, there is new talk of finding a different use for the vast acreage.
In a statement after the election, Westside Investment said that for now the golf course will remain a golf course and adding: “Denver has rejected its single best opportunity to build new affordable housing and create new public parks.”
By Garry Boulard
